I haven’t written much on working at the DA’s office. In fact, I’ve written exactly nothing about it. It’s mainly because I’ve never gotten around to it, and a lot of the really juicy stuff I can’t talk about. Really. They made me sign a paper which said they could throw me in jail if I did. Actually, I’ve signed several of those papers. And I don’t think I’d do well in jail.
But as we approach the end of the quarter and my internship, here is a quick list of the things I’ve learned in my brief time there:
1. There is no honor among thieves. Thieves will rat each other out on a moment’s notice. It’s why they are criminals.
2. Prof. CrimPro is right. It is always drugs.
3. There are certain gas stations in town I would never, ever, ever get gas at.
4. I now know the street value of a gram of crack cocaine. So in case this law school thing doesn’t work, I could work in the drug trade.
5. Sufficiency of evidence challenges suck. It requires some poor schmuck (like an intern) to go through the record and cite every piece of evidence which supports the fact finding. And for some bizarre reason, every record is seven volumes long. I can’t figure that out.
6. You’d be amazed what will fit in a Toyota Corolla
7. It takes about four weeks to become absolutely cynical. I started out viewing each Child Protective Services case as a horrible event which would keep my up at nights. Now, I read files for their comedic value. I’m going to hell.
8. You think law school coffee is bad? Work at the DA’s.
9. It actually is possible to get arrested for loitering.
10. Bureaucracy sucks. It’s frustrating to bang your head against the wall of a government system, and even more frustrating when each person you talk with is nice, hard-working, and genuinely sympathetic. But it doesn’t change the rules. And the runaround is ten times more frustrating when there isn’t a person to blame.
4 comments:
Welcome to the blogspot family.
Would it be possible to list a few of those gas stations?
And, yes, you are going directly to hell. But it'll just be like one big BLS reunion.
Amen to point #8. Ick!
Regarding point #7: I screened stacks of family violence cases this summer for the DA. I became so disgusted that when I moved on to petty theft cases, it was a welcome reprieve. 250-pound women shoplifting thong undies from Wal-mart is still disturbing, but on a much funnier level.
It's really sad when you start thinking in terms of "in case this whole law thing doesn't work out." I have about three backup careers just in case my ability to get a job tracks with my ability to get a man. Three cheers for the power of positive thinking!
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